Lille Flandres and Lille Europe

There are 2 train stations in Lille: Lille Flandres and Lille Europe. The second one is the biggest one from where the Eurostar to London leaves. From the first one, you can get to different cities in France or Belgium. Both are adjacent to one another and right into the city center, which makes the train the best option to come to Lille.

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Trainstation

Not only the new station Lille Europe is worth seeing, also the old station Lille Flandres is wonderful. Most trains from Belgium and the North of France arrive here. It is only 10 minutes walking from Lille Europe, next to the large shopping mall and close to the city center. The metro has a stop under the station.

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Architecture

Trains

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The best way to travel into...

The best way to travel into Lille is by train. Since Lille is very central between Brussels, London, and Paris, it only takes a few hours from all these locations by TGV. From Paris, one need take a train from the Gare du Nord. From London and Brussels you need to take the TGV main trains. The best way to get around Lille is by riding the metro. The metro is cheap, easy, and fast. It is a much smaller and less complex system than that of Paris, London, or New York for example. There are only two lines. To ride the metro you must buy and compost a ticket before you board. I would suggest buying day passes for the metro if you'll be hopping on and off frequently. These cost much less than if you had to buy a seperate ticket each time. You can buy these on any of the automated machines in the metro stations. The bus system is also well used and organized in Lille, but I found it more confusing than the Metro. And of course there is always a lot of walking involved, my favorite form of transportation. :)The photo shows a few of the main attractions in Lille and the map of the centre ville.

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I arrived to the airport of...

I arrived to the airport of Lille (http://www.lille.aeroport.fr/) but as I said before, if you're in UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg...) you can arrive by one of the modern high-speed trains. Remember that Lille is in the center of a very dense population area, with a very useful net of transports.

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The best way to get to Lille...

The best way to get to Lille is probably by train. The Eurostar from Waterloo International in London and from Gare du Nord in Paris come to Lille. The old train station is close to the Eurolille station. Trains serve both stations. Lesquin Airport (obviously in Lesquin) is close to Lille but poorly served. Before the advent of the Channel Tunnel, there were flights to LHR, but no more. A flight to Algeria, some to Nice, and a few far away French cities and that's it.Parking in Lille is not too difficult. It's a bit hard to find in the city center, but not impossible.

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From London, the Eurostar from...

From London, the Eurostar from Waterloo Station. Fares start at £79 return or even sometimes as low as £40 return during promotional periods.I walked and walked and walked. The city center is within walking distance of the Eurostar station.

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It could not be easier to...

It could not be easier to reach Calais. With up to 60 car ferry and catamaran services daily, you can turn up and sail from Dover to Calais at any time of the day. Crossings on P&O Stena Line and SeaFrance superferries take from 75 to 90 minutes and 45 minutes on Hoverspeed's superseacats. Access roads from the port link directly onto the Autoroute network and the port is just a five minute drive into the town centre by car or by bus, which meets all ferry arrivals. Alternatively travel to Calais on the frequent Eurotunnel services from Folkestone. The Eurotunnel Terminal is to the west of Calais at Coquelles and next to the huge Cite Europe shopping centre. The terminal also has a direct link to the Autoroute network and Calais town centre is a short drive.

300 years ago Lille was a rich and important city in Flandres (Belgium). Now, Lille is the capital of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the most northern province in France.
The influence of those two countries......

My friend and I arrived in Lille late Friday morning and experienced 24 hours of laughter!! We forgot the European connector for the mini kettle, set the clock wrong and woke up too early, went round...

On a sunny day of February, nothing special of foresee and here we are leave with some friends to discover Lille. To guarantee us an interesting visit, I had taken contact by the intermediary one site...